Tuesday, July 7, 2015

getting the hang of it

From Mary Oliver's The Summer Day: ...I don't know exactly what a prayer is, I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields...

For me, I'd add...I do knowhow to cut & paste outside, how to plop down and stitch and sip under clouds a-building, how to be okay with weeds in cracks.
The prompt for Week 19 of Journal52 is outside in. That is, to take an assortment of materials and create a journal page outside. I really like the limits that working outside creates, didn't go back in the house for more or better stuff a single time for this page.

Same with handwork -- one needle, two thread colors and two cloths -- a Frankenstitch practice cloth from a class a few years ago and the little nine-patch from last week. A magazine article on using the blanket stitch more adventurously reminded me that was a technique in Arlee's Frankenstitching as well, so I went looking for the practice cloth with the least amount of practicing on it.

Macrame -- remember? Our large-ish 70's wall hanging is from a yard sale last summer and now I want more. I can think of many places to hang them around here, inside and out. The embroidery hoops -- I'm thinking of stretching fabric on them, maybe that would be a nice use for some of the dyed cloth that I don't know what to do with. There are more hoops in the closet too, they reproduce. Or maybe just a big wooden bowl or basket filled with hoops.

This is a waning moon week -- the next new moon is July 15. The waning moon energetically helps us to sort and purge. I thought I had already done quite a bit of this kind of work but over the last few mornings, more things have surfaced. Getting the hang of it though.

5 comments:

Lush n lovely pictures. Macramé does have tactile quality and looks perfect against a window but yes, would be rather nice outdoors too!That's a great idea for the dyed fabric, to go in the wooden hoops, maybe you could hang them in sizes from each other and they could waft around with the breeze outdoors even. Like a mobile!

Yes to working with what you've got! I just told J. that is my new plan as I purge away everything...I'll just use what I do have. It is very freeing in a way, yes?Macrame...I have a basket with a macrame hanger. It's fraying at the hanging loop and I was considering way to fix it, since I have no clue how to DO macrame!!! Love your special find.

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